Is ‘IT’ coming? Nope, it’s already here!
It's Halloween and I have had a grand total of zero knocks at my door, which I'm actually rather pleased about.
My anti-social self simply cannot fathom why on this night each year, it's somehow acceptable for parents to allow their snotty kids to start knocking on strangers doors begging for sweets. I always thought strangers and sweets was a big no-no! But then again I’m only a first time mum and haven’t yet graduated from the renowned Academy of Mumsnet. Maybe next time! I can’t help but think that when homeless people in the streets beg for small change it’s those same parents that are completely outraged. You know the type I mean....
'Yes! 'Little Derek does looks great in his not anywhere near scary Superman outfit that he'll wear for tonight then never again. Oh, consumerism! What fun!'
So my moody bum is sat on the sofa infront of my wide screen TV, listening to the banging of fireworks. My 7 month old son is asleep on my lap. I should think about taking him up to bed but my maternity leave ends in 2 months and I find myself NEEDING to hold him. That and the clocks jumped forwards last night so we’re slightly out of sync. My fiancé is at work on a late shift. I'm watching a show about the African grasslands with a belly full of a plant-based chicken-style burger. Okay fine! 2 Burgers! Shhh!
With the clock at nearly 8pm, it's doubtful I'll be receiving any little skeleton visitors tonight. It's a strange holiday Halloween. I thought I would look it up since I’m writing about it and Hallow just means ‘holy’ so Halloween is really just ‘All Hallows Eve’ the day before All saints day. Its roots aren't entirety clear but it seems as though its origins are mixed up with a pagan festival to mark the begin of Winter. How it turned into what is now I don’t know. Although I'm not surprised really, anything that's even remotely sell-able is immediately capitalised on these day. NHS anyone. *Cough cough*
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My documentary has just gone to a break and 'IT' has happened. Disguising itself as an innocent advert. The 'IT' that I dread every year yet every year it gets worse, creeping its way up the calendar. Christmas isn't coming, it's here! Already! In October! On Halloween! F*** my life. You'd reckon we could give it a miss one year. Just once. Don’t get me wrong I appreciate it’s a magical time for the kids. (On the 25th December!) I like being with family. I love the food and the drink! I have great memories from when I was younger and want that for my son. But there comes a time when we have to admit it to ourselves. When we out grow the lies of Father Christmas and give perspective to what is actually a shamefully depressing time of year for many (if not most).
When the poor are cold and hungry while the slightly less poor our convinced by the rich and greedy to take what little money they have managed to save and spend it on needless products of emptiness. Drug abuse shoots up. Alcohol abuse up. Suicide rates up. Domestic abuse up.
If there was a vote tomorrow I for one would be very much in favour of cancelling Christmas. With the exception of one rule. GIVE. And by giving I am definitely not referring to the never ending conveyor belt of Amazon orders waiting to go out because someone decided to buy their mother a Yankee candle all because it was on sale! That’s just more consuming. More of the same. I mean GIVE! Give what you already have! Give what you can! Donate to charities. Food banks. Volunteer! So many of us deserve a break, so many children living in poverty. So many nurses, doctors, police working tirelessly while we are privileged enough to watch the EastEnders special and consume vast amounts of booze and eat and eat and eat till we can’t eat anymore!
I’m sick of it! I’m done. No playing Xmas songs until the week of Xmas! I don’t need to hear George Michael repeated 20 times on my weekly shopping trip to Asda 8 weeks before he gives his heart to someone special! No cards, waste of trees! Decorations can do one. Sales that trick you into thinking you are getting a good deal on shit you’d never normally buy anyway, they can go. Now this might all sound a bit Scrooge-y but I don’t need that stuff in my life and neither do you. I’m not even religious, not that it matters anymore!
So this year I’m drawing a line. Putting my little foot down. No bullshit. Just quality time with the family (the ones I like) where we play our newly invented game of charity jackpot. Pretty self-explanatory. We play one of our ‘only played at Xmas board games’ cause it’s too stressful to play at any other time of year but with the added twist off money being at stake. When the game is won the jackpot is donated to the nominated charity of said winner! We eat! We laugh! We sleep in a warm bed knowing that we are lucky. We are grateful.
With all that said there’s only one thing left to do. Apologise. I apologise to you the reader because it’s only just November and I’m writing about ‘IT’.